


A Fox Prowls

by Thai_Tea_Addict



Category: Tennis no Oujisama | Prince of Tennis, YuYu Hakusho
Genre: Crossover, Crossover Pairings, F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-04-08
Updated: 2013-07-23
Packaged: 2017-12-07 21:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/753164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thai_Tea_Addict/pseuds/Thai_Tea_Addict
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Flowers bring a rather unusual pair together. Yukimura Seiichi may be known as the Child of God, but Kurama runs with a crew that punches deities in the face. It was hard to tell who, exactly, was seducing who.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Disclaimer** : I do not own either the Prince of Tennis or Yu Yu Hakusho.
> 
> Warnings: Yaoi/shounen-ai, and all the good stuff that comes when a fox demon is seducing a sadistic high schooler. XD
> 
> **Pairings **: _(Main)_ KuramaYukimura; _(side/implied/vague)_ ManyxRyoma, Golden, Platinum, Silver, Dirty, Emerald (InuKai), KuwaYukina****

"Ah, Yukimura-kun! Welcome!" an elderly lady at the counter said, flashing the senior high freshman a benign smile before turning her attention back to her customer.

Yukimura Seiichi gave the woman, the kindly Saeko-san, a small smile in response as he moved into the familiar, comforting territory of the Hanazuki Florist shop. He was greeted by the sight of a colorful, beautiful variety of flora within as the scent of several different flowers mixed with that of the freshly-cut stems.

Yukimura was fond of plants but it was always the delicate, vibrant ones that held his attention the most. They were what calmed him on the roof of the hospital he had felt trapped in, when he needed to escape from his peers and into the embrace of the school's gardens; Yukimura loved flowers, pure and simple. Not as much as tennis, of course - nothing would ever be able to compete with tennis, in Yukimura's heart. But the love for flowers was there and he had become a regular customer at this small, neighborhood florist.

He stopped to check on his favorite flower, the daffodils. They were beautiful things, soft to the touch and neck-deep in water. He made as if to draw them up to take in their scent but stifled his movements at the sound of a few giggles from his right. Dark eyes glanced over to catch sight of a few high school girls, taking turns glancing at him and giggling with their friends.

He smiled at them politely.

They giggled. One accidentally crushed the dahlia she had been inspecting.

Yukimura backed away from the daffodils and further into the store, where the path was choked more by the flora. Turning the corner, he inwardly sighed in relief; they hadn't followed him.

Yukimura had his fair share of popularity but over the course of time, those in his school had learned to worship at a distance and obey while in his immediate vicinity. After entering Rikkaidai's relative Senior High School, he'd realized everyone would have to be re-trained; the senpai were way too bold. He had become immediately popular with the girls and some of the guys had been offended by it - instead of fearing him as they rightly should. (It was no matter, of course; slowly but surely, everyone was learning their new roles. He'd made an excellent example out of Takemura-senpai, after all.)

Pausing at what looked to be a new addition to the selection, he gently ran pale fingers along the furry petal of a star-like flower. The white, woolly petals were five in number, surrounding seven bulbs of bright yellow buds.

_"Leontopodium alpinum."_

Yukimura started, fingers instinctively freezing as to not crush the flower in its grasp. He snapped his head up and to his left, dark eyes meeting the starkest shade of green he had ever seen in his life. The eyes were framed by a face of pale, delicate features, topped by equally vivid red hair that was left stylishly untamed to fall to the slender waist. What Yukimura saw before him was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen in his life.

"Though it's more commonly referred to as the 'edelweiss'," the redhead explained softly, smiling in an absent matter that still sent a little shock down the tennis player's spine.

This was probably due to the fact that the beautiful woman was, actually, a beautiful _man._

"It's a magnificent flower," the redhead continued, seemingly unperturbed by the other boy's silence. "It's associated with noble purity. A flower of courage and power."

Green eyes slid over to the teen, a spark of slight amusement dancing in their depths, "Rather appropriate for an athlete."

Yukimura came out of whatever trance-like state he had been in, stepping away from the flowers cautiously. He took in the state of the other; a business suit, marking the redhead as the older of the two. It was lax compared to the normal salary-man like his father's, though, but that may have been due to age and standing. The redhead looked like he still belonged in high school.

The attire was normal, and though the other male was undoubtedly one of the prettiest people Yukimura had ever seen, the former captain of Rikkai was no stranger to beauty. It seemed more than half of the junior high tennis circuit could have been models (and he was sure some would end up _being_ models).

Which was why he found it strange when he couldn't come up with a single thing to say to the man before him.

The redhead smiled, turning those damning greening eyes off Yukimura and to the edelweiss stationed in front of them. "I'm told Saeko-san added them just yesterday."

"Do you like them?" Yukimura finally managed out of an increasingly dry throat.

The green eyes were back on him. Yukimura wondered how he could easily smile at his friends and family before entering a surgery he had a high chance in not surviving, but couldn't come up with something more intelligent to say to another flower-enthusiast.

"Yes," the redhead said, the amusement back in his eyes. "I'm very fond of many plants, actually. You seem to be as well."

"Oh?" Yukimura said, reducing himself to one-word conversation. At least then it made him look stoic and rude, and not like a landed fish.

One hand reached out to the flower Yukimura had just released, pulling it from the mass to be studied by interested green eyes. The hold was gentle and exploratory, sliding along the stem in a way that looked more erotic than it possibly had any right to. Yukimura felt distinctly hot and shifted slightly as green eyes went back to him.

"You're very careful with them," the redhead explained, before a small smile turned his lips. "And Saeko-san always goes on about how wonderful you are in helping her on the weekends."

"That's because Yukimura-kun is a good boy," a cheerful voice broke through, grabbing the pair's attention towards the elderly woman shuffling towards them with a smile. "Unlike you, Minamino-san."

The redhead chuckled softly, placing the edelweiss flower back in its pot as Yukimura worked on trying to regain back his scattered senses. "I don't know what you mean, Saeko-san."

"Don't you pay any attention to what this man says, Yukimura-kun," the florist chided teasingly, pulling the younger boy aside conspiratorially. "He's really just a big tease."

"Now that's just mean," Minamino interjected, but looked amused just the same. "And I wasn't teasing him. I just wanted to meet the boy that impressed the Great Lady Saeko."

Saeko snorted, "See, Yukimura-kun? Just a tease. Thinks because he's got a pretty face he can get away with all sorts of things... I hope he didn't make you uncomfortable."

Yukimura smiled demurely, "Not at all, Saeko-san. He was just telling me about the edelweiss. I've never seen them before, so it was nice to learn something new."

"Don't let him fool you," Saeko retorted. "Minamino-san probably knows more about plants than I do, but that won't stop him from breaking hearts all over the place." She cast the redhead a critical look.

Minamino hummed absently, poking at the lotus flowers.

"You know Kawaguchi-san, from the tea shop down three blocks? He was telling me _all_ about the dashing red-haired devil that dared to turn down his precious daughter Ayame-chan." Here, her eyes darkened several shades. " _All_ about it. Took about half my sake collection with him, too."

Minamino failed to keep the laughter from his voice. "So you're taking out your revenge on me, Saeko-san? That seems rather misdirected."

"It's not revenge. I'm just doing my citizen's duty in protecting an innocent youth from your frivolous attentions, Minamino-san," Saeko grumbled.

"My frivolous attentions?" Minamino echoed blandly.

"I'm not _that_ innocent," Yukimura added.

Both adults paused to stare at him, before the redhead laughed out loud at the florist's gaping face.

"You should never underestimate young men, Saeko-san," Minamino intoned wisely, stepping around the elderly lady with a smile. "I should get going now. I just wanted to thank you for the bouquet suggestion last weekend. My parents loved it."

He glanced at Yukimura over his shoulder as he strolled away, "I hope we can meet again, Yukimura-kun."

And at that exact moment, Yukimura Seiichi's heart skipped a beat.

 

_

 

"Yukimura's been acting weird," Marui complained quietly.

Yanagi paused at his locker, sparing a closed-eyed look for the bubblegum-chewing boy. The small complaint had earned the attention of everyone else in the locker room, though; Niou had come swaggering up half-dressed to throw a friendly arm over the redhead's shoulders with a wide grin. 

"Feeling lonely, Bunta?" the Trickster jeered.

"Yukimura does seem distracted as of late," Yagyuu agreed, deftly pulling his double's partner back and handing him his shirt.

Yanagi nodded in understanding to the observation. As freshmen at Rikkai's Senior High division, the former regulars had found themselves with more spare time than they dared to note aloud in Yukimura's presence. The current tennis club captain, Hayashibara Toushirou, was a rather lax senior who seemed to prefer showing off for his fanclub rather than doing any actual tennis. They could practically feel the murderous intent just lurking under Yukimura's skin, even as they dutifully followed their senpai's commands.

"Maybe he's plotting Hayashibara's demise?" Niou suggested cheerfully, pulling on his shirt and draping himself over Yagyuu. "Before Sanada finally snaps?"

Marui cast the silver-haired boy a bland look. "I still can't believe you framed him for serving a tennis ball straight into Sakuragawa's face. He's going to kill you when he finishes running all those laps."

Niou just laughed.

"Genichirou has only one lap to go," a soft voice interrupted, grabbing the freshmen's attentions. "If you were planning to evade him, it would be best for you to leave quickly, Niou-kun."

"Yukimura!" Marui cried, quickly going red and starting to fidget.

Jackal edged more into his locker, "How...How long have you been standing there?"

Yukimura smiled at them all guilelessly.

_For the whole conversation,_ they realized in dread.

"You can wipe the fear from your faces," Yukimura said good-naturedly, looking amused. "I've always known you guys were prone to gossip, no matter how hard Genichirou tried to beat it out of you."

That didn't stop them from feeling guilty, though. Yanagi closed his locker deftly, turning to Yukimura with his usual blank face. "They do have a point, however, Seiichi-kun. I've noticed an 11.3 percent rise in your overall mood over the past few weeks. To be honest, I thought I'd be seeing less of Hayashibara-senpai at this point. His continued survival confuses me."

"Were you expecting Yukimura to kill him or something?" Marui muttered.

"I assure you, my mood is in no way related to Hayashibara," Yukimura said coolly, suddenly looking a lot less happy and a lot more homicidal. The others found a cold shiver crawl down their spines at the sight. Yukimura loved tennis and found those that didn't take it seriously a blight to the revered game. "It has nothing to do with tennis at all, actually."

At that, several froze and stared at the frail-looking teen with varying levels of unadulterated shock. It didn't compute; Yukimura was _always_ tied into tennis. Hell, the teen would have been happy to _die_ on a tennis court!

Yukimura seemingly ignored the reaction.

"I," Yukimura began, just as Sanada entered the locker room, "Am in love."

Silence descended, only to be broken by the former vice-captain fainting dead away.

 

-

 

Yukimura wondered if this could be considered stalking.

If he took into context that a majority of the tennis circuit had a habit of... _obsessively following_...other people (usually also of the tennis circuit), he could claim that this was, by all rights, normal behavior.

Sure, most outsiders would find following one person for a majority of the day a bit strange (or very alarming), but Yukimura figured he could get away with it; blinking cute, innocent eyes up at those who dared to question him had always gotten him out of precarious situations before. Sure, his school had someone follow him around during school hours nearly every day now (under the guise of medical necessity), but had that stopped him from putting Takemura-senpai through Hell and blackmailing one of his least favorite teachers into quitting? Of course not. What Yukimura wanted, he most assuredly got.

Even if Minamino-san was being unnecessarily difficult about it.

Yukimura had used every connection, legal and not-so-legal, to get as much information as he could about the redheaded man that frequented the Hanazuki Florist. (He also managed to keep anyone tennis-related ignorant about it, because he was just that damn good.) So far, the wealth of information he had managed to uncover was virtually useless in actually pursuing the older man.

Minamino Shuuichi. Currently 21, working in a small business that deals with overseas contracts in medicine. The business is supposedly run by his stepfather, Hatanaka Kazuya, who married Minamino's mother four years ago. Has a younger step-brother, Hatanaka Suichi, who is currently attending Meio High School - the prestigious school that Minamino had graduted from.

Minamino currently lived in a small apartment in the more Southern part of the Kanagawa prefecture. He lived alone and remained single, despite numerous offers of dates from both men and women. He had been extremely popular in his school days, leading to the establishment of a Minamino Shuuichi fanclub that had more members than Atobe's and Fuji's _combined_. He frequently visited his family, as much as at least twice every week; he proved to be a very dedicated son and often enjoyed taking care of the garden around the Hatanaka-Minamino household.

Yukimura glanced up from the light school text he was using as a ruse; Minamino was currently sitting at a ramen stall, enjoying a bowl as he talked with the man who made it. (The ramen cook was another young man with slicked-back black hair who slouched more like a gangster than a cook.) The two seemed to be friends, if what Yukimura had observed was true; Minamino seemed much more relaxed in the company of the ramen cook compared to his coworkers.

The daylight was waning into evening and the pink-purple hue of the skies had a surreal effect with Minamino as the center in Yukimura's eyes. The other man seemed inhumanly beautiful in all shades of time. The slender, pale fingers currently gripping the chopsticks had been typing at a computer just two hours previous, and just the day before had been tenderly caring for a batch of white camellias. Gentle but strong, sly but compassionate, teasing but bold... Minamino Shuuichi was everything that Yukimura wanted.

Lost to his observations and rather vivid imagination, Yukimura didn't notice brown eyes flicking over to him in consideration.

"I've actually been meaning to ask you this," Urameshi Yuusuke, former Reikai Tantei, part-time ramen cook, and (self-proclaimed) full-time badass, started, looking back at his serenely-smiling friend, "Is there a reason the high schooler over there has been stalking you? I think I even saw him when we hung out with Kuwabara at the pachinko parlor you refused to play at."

"Perhaps," Kurama said, taking a sip from the bottle of green tea he had bought beforehand, "And that pachinko parlor was a scam."

Yusuke snorted. " _Riiiight._ Either Koenma is having you do some kind of weird-ass mission again, or you really need to find more hobbies - hopefully ones that don't include terrorizing poor bystanders."

"Terrorizing has always been Hiei's interest, not mine," Kurama allowed, looking rather cheery. "But I assure you, this does not involve Reikai. It's of a more...personal nature."

Yusuke damn near dropped the pot he had been cleaning.

"Are you fucking serious?" Yusuke ogled, turning to glance at the distant teen who appeared to be absorbed in his book. The fact that he was blushing once again (he had been blushing on and off for a while now) was tantamount to the fact that it was not the book that had the boy's interest. "Isn't he a little..." _Young? Normal? Not-demon-like?_ \- all came to mind.

"I'm only 21, Yusuke." Kurama reminded. "A five-year difference isn't much in the human realm, as I've seen. My step-father is eight years older than my mother."

"Yeah, but don't you think that whole _'I'm actually a demon'_ -thing is going to, uh, make things a bit difficult?" Yusuke pointed out.

Kurama shrugged absently, "My, but you're thinking rather deeply into this situation. I'm touched you care so much about my sexual pursuits."

Yusuke made a face, "I don't think I want to talk about this anymore, especially with you. You're like a budding cradle-robber."

Kurama nearly choked on his ramen. _"What?"_

"You're like a thousand years old, fox-boy. I call it as I see it."

"Would you rather I date Kuwabara's great-grandfather then?" Kurama said dryly.

Yusuke paused, considered, then shuddered at the mental image. "Alright, I'll give you that. But people don't normally take the whole demon thing well. And he looks like a pansy, anyway; I think _Yukina_ has more muscle than him."

"And the truth comes to light," Kurama mused with a chuckle. "I'm not interested in _fighting_ him, Yusuke." Pause. "Well, in the conservative sense, in any case."

"Please stop making sexual innuendos; it makes it harder for me to keep a straight face," Yusuke replied. "And I think your fanboy there is getting jealous, too."

Kurama stirred the ramen broth causally. "Then maybe he'll finally stop following me and approach. While this waiting game is amusing on its own, the interest will eventually die if all he does is stare."

"Why don't _you_ approach _him_ , then?"

Kurama smiled, enjoying Yukimura Seiichi's vibrant blush out of the corner of his eye. "Well, that wouldn't be any fun at all, now would it?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Pairings** : (Main) KuramaYukimura. I have decided this will feature many a side pair, mostly canon for YYH (KuwaYukina) and possibly Platinum, Golden, Dirty, and Tango. This story will also incorporate an element of a PAST HieiKurama.
> 
> **Warnings** : Some points are AU for _both_ categories. (My mind seems to like occasionally blanking about Oishi attending a different high school.) I also somehow mesh YYH's anime world with its manga counterpart, so just roll with it. XD And this is obviously yaoi/shounen-ai.
> 
> **Disclaimer** : I do not own either Yu Yu Hakusho or Prince of Tennis.

At six o'clock in the evening, the neighborhood bookshop was a rather deserted place. It was expected, of course; most families were probably settling down to eat dinner, not perusing the shelves of the Yamazaki Bookshop's non-fiction section. Kurama, however, wasn't planning on visiting his family this evening and his cooking had yet to get much better than instant noodles or microwaveable dinners.

Besides, waiting for Yukimura Seiichi to finally make his move was way more enjoyable than sitting alone in his apartment.

It had been just a little over a week since the human teenager had started his shadowing of Kurama and the redhead had been carefully calculating when the best time would be to have the boy approach him. He was thankful the teen thought far enough ahead as to not approach him at work because Kurama wasn't too keen on his step-father seeing exactly what his previously-believed-to-be-asexual step-son was actually interested in.

Kurama knew the other boy had been looking into his background. That was a bit unsettling - not because of the rather stalker-like behavior but because the life of Minamino Shuuichi had plenty of holes if one looked too closely. He didn't think Yukimura had enough connections to look into his school or medical records but it never hurt to be cautious; Kurama had gotten out of hospital visits thanks to having never fallen ill and only really ever attended for the necessary shots. Injections, however, didn't require a medical exam; he doubted the doctor would appreciate the fact that Minamino Shuuichi _didn't have a heartbeat._

His school record was an issue in and of itself. Ever since he had gotten involved with Reikai in his freshman year of senior high school, his attendance had dwindled to practically nothing. Yusuke ditched regardless of missions but Kuwabara had been reduced to begging to re-take exams he'd missed. Kurama - a known genius in Meiou - merely made sure to take any exams before he'd be forced out on a mission and then break into the school files so that his medical files didn't look a blank as they really were. The school nurse could hardly be expected to remember every student and as long as the files were there, she didn't question it; his homeroom teacher, however, had a memory like an elephant and could probably note down all the dates Kurama had attended (since the number of days he had _missed_ school far out-numbered the ones he didn't miss).

Just to be cautious, Kurama had Yukimura followed as well; his own connections were shadier than even a yakuza's but that's just how things went when one was a former demon thief and retired Reikai Tantei. Yukimura had only scraped the surface of Minamino Shuuichi and as long as Kurama kept the boy's attention on the person in the _here and now_ and not the files, this process should be easily cleared. He'd done his own investigation on the boy as a pre-cursor to even their first meeting - it never hurt to be too cautious.

Yukimura Seiichi. Currently 16 years old and attending Rikkaidai Fuzoku Senior High division. He had graduated from the junior high division in Spring, honored as the revered tennis club captain that had lead the club to winning the Nationals two years in a row, then coming in second during his third year. He had perfect grades and his teachers regarded him as a polite and courteous boy.

He'd been diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, falling into hospital care during the latter half of his junior year after having collapsed at a subway station. His subsequent hospitalization had been viewed as a dark period for the teen as he went into preparations for a surgery that had a low success rate. Yukimura, however, was extremely lucky; the operation was successful and he made a full recovery.

_At least we both dislike hospitals,_ Kurama thought absently, keeping his face politely blank as he pulled out an autobiographical book.

"Excuse me? Are you...ah! Minamino-san, it _is_ you!"

Kurama made sure to have on a pleasantly surprised expression as he turned to regard his addressee; Yukimura, for his part, was looking perfectly astonished to see him. The fact that the boy had been following him since he left work that day was completely hidden but Kurama tried not to remind himself of that, or he'd give in to the urge to laugh.

"I don't know if you remember me-"

"Of course I do, Yukimura-kun," Kurama interrupted gently, putting the book back in its proper place. "You're not an easy person to forget, after all."

He pulled a soft smile onto his face as the boy blushed lightly. Kurama was new to human courtship but flirting was pretty much the same whether one was a youkai or a human. Suggestions and subtle compliments had much more luck of working than abrupt forwardness.

"Do you often come here, Minamino-san?" Yukimura asked lightly, looking politely curious.

"I'm a fan of all books, really," Kurama replied, sweeping over the couple Yukimura had in hand. Collections of French poetry, it looked like, both old and modern; interesting tastes for a teenage human. Yusuke would have used haiku collections as seat warmers before reading them and even the studious Kuwabara never looked too pleased while studying literature. "This bookstore has a rather eclectic collection and it never gets too crowded."

"A rare find in Tokyo," Yukimura noted in amusement.

Kurama nodded with a small chuckle. "Crowds have a certain appeal, sometimes."

"If you want to blend in, I suppose." Yukimura said, looking a bit introspective before coming back to himself with a smile.

"This is still a pleasant coincidence, though," Kurama said, glancing out the store window as if to ascertain time. "Have you already eaten, Yukimura-kun?"

Yukimura inwardly wondered if his heart could actually climb out of his throat at the subtle probe. He had not intended this meeting to be nothing but a casual run-in (he had planned another two before he actually got around to the dating idea) but perhaps he had underestimated his own appeal.

"No, not yet," Yukimura said with a small sigh. "I told my family that I was going to eat with my friend but something came up and he couldn't make it."

The look in those green eyes was somewhat...mischievous. For some reason, Yukimura felt he had fallen into some sort of trap but at Minamino's pleased smile, found he didn't really mind.

"That's perfect then!" Kurama said cheerfully. "I have nothing to cook at home so I was planning on eating out. It's always better to eat with company."

Yukimura made sure to pause so it looked like he was thinking it over; it wouldn't do to come off as too eager. "I wouldn't mind, as long as you don't think I'm intruding..."

"Of course not! It will even be my treat," Kurama graciously offered.

Yukimura's smile was bright. "Then let me just buy these books..."

"Go ahead," Kurama said, before pausing in feigned consideration. He made sure Yukimura had already turned away to head to the register before adding, "This can be our first date."

Yukimura froze, head whipping around to stare at the older male in actual shock. Kurama made sure to keep the smile on his face but the seriousness in his eyes; it wouldn't do to lead the boy astray.

Yukimura seemed to waver before nodding resolutely and turning back around with a more hurried step.

Kurama's smile widened at the blush he could still see.

 

_

 

Senior high school had been a strange process for most tennis players that had been involved in the junior high tennis circuit last year. Being suddenly thrust back into freshmen status had not been kind to those that had gotten used to their power, specifically those of Rikkaidai, Hyoutei, and Seigaku.

The former Rikkai regulars, having found their senior high division tennis club an utter sham, were working on completely revamping it; Hayashibara may be ignorant of the vipers he now found himself saddled with but it was already too late to stop the poison from spreading. Everyone from the cringing freshmen to the belligerent seniors to the wary staff knew that Yukimura Seiichi was someone to be feared.

Atobe, of course, had merely repeated what he had done back in junior high: remodeling the school to his liking and squashing down the silly little uprisings that sometimes came when he re-ascertained his power. It probably helped that he had Oshitari on his side this time, as anyone who foolishly didn't fear his name was blackmailed into silence by the bespectacled tensai.

Those of Seigaku would have been much more gracious about their slide from power but their own tennis captain, Morimoto Tohru, was a bully put in a position of leadership. Fuji, specifically, had not taken kindly to being ordered to _"do something about that stupid homo look"_ he was supposedly sporting. Tezuka, one of the few capable of stopping Fuji when he entered one of his Sadistic Vengeance phases, had not even bothered to reign the tensai in; he had never been fond of bullies. (The day after the 'order' was given, Morimoto had transferred schools and Fuji had been sporting a rather damning smile as he proceeded to terrify the rest of the club into behaving properly.) Unlike Rikkai, however, who now looked towards Yukimura for guidance, Seigaku had chosen a suitable senior to lead the club - though it was pretty much a known fact that Tezuka and Fuji ruled from the background.

Yamabuki, with Akutsu (who, to the surprise of everyone but Dan Taichi, bothered to take and pass the senior high school entrance exam) and Sengoku leading them in, had assumed control of their own tennis club. Sengoku was too friendly a guy for someone to hate and any dissenters were properly terrified by Akutsu.

Saint Rudolph graduates went on to attend Saint Nicholas Academy, the senior division; Mizuki had easily gained control of their tennis club. Jyousei Shonan graduates Kajimoto and Wakato also entered Saint Nicholas, the former because he was interested in the wavy-haired former manager and the latter because he found terrorizing Akazawa's budding relationship with Kaneda too amusing to leave alone.

Fudoumine's Tachibana, having no senior division to enter, had chosen Midori High as his next stage and proceeded to turn another whole school into a cult. Saeki from Rokkaku had decided to follow his childhood friend into Seigaku's sacred grounds, the others scattering to other tennis clubs as per interest.

Senior high school had been a strange affair but otherwise successful. All got to play tennis to their heart's content, order was being established, and, as always, they remained-

"Did you hear?" Kikumaru yelled, throwing open the door to the locker room. "Rikkai's Yukimura has a _boyfriend!"_

-a little too interested in the lives of each other.

At least both Fuji and Inui looked properly interested. Oishi's attention, however, was on the senior Kikumaru had accidentally knocked unconscious with his abrupt entrance.

"How interesting..." Fuji murmured, pulling on his uniform as he gave the red-haired acrobat a smile. "I always thought Yukimura was married to tennis."

"And get this!" Kikumaru cried, throwing his arms around Oishi in greeting, thereby distracting the other boy from his attempted resuscitation of the collapsed senior. "Supposedly, Yukimura's boyfriend _doesn't play tennis!"_

Inui flipped open a notebook, writing rapidly. " _Ii data._ Since Yukimura has shown a dedication to tennis matched by very few, the chances of coming into an intimate relationship with someone who does not play tennis is significantly smaller...my data has been put in disarray..."

"Do you know who it is?" Fuji asked.

"No," Kikumaru said sadly. "I just heard about it from Oshitari. Apparently, he had heard about it from Jiroh, who had been following around Marui again."

The door opened, just as Oishi looked ready to chide them all for gossiping about other people. Tezuka stepped in, eyes zeroing in on the unconscious senior on the floor. A miniscule frown came onto his lips.

"Fuji. _Again?"_

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Minamino Shuuichi."

Yanagi stared - as much as he _could_ stare, of course, what with his eyes closed and all - at the former Regulars of Rikkaidai. They were ensconced in one of the empty classrooms in the after-hours of school, Yanagi manning the front of the classroom with a pointer stick and a projector displaying a blurred picture of colors.

"What the hell is that supposed to be, an apple?" Niou snarked from where he sat, slouched back and feet on the desk in front of him.

Yanagi paused, "Getting a clear picture of him has proved...difficult."

Despite Yukimura's belief in the contrary, those of the tennis circuit had indeed found out about his recent infatuation. News had traveled fast thanks to Marui's loose mouth, Jiroh's fanboy tendencies, and Oshitari's manipulations; an information network had been quickly developed and utilized.

While clear pictures of Minamino had eluded them, this was mostly due to the fact that Yukimura had taken to accompanying the other male and none dared risk getting too close in case of being found out. Luckily, Yanagi had used their connections well; Seigaku's Inui had perfected the ability to gather data on any one person and the Hyoutei Regulars' vast fortunes had funded the mini-project.

"We really need to find more hobbies," Yagyuu mused indifferently.

"So who is this bastard?" Kirihara prompted.

"Minamino Shuuichi," Yanagi continued on smoothly, "Is an employee at Hatanaka Contracts, having graduated from Meiou Academy three years ago with top grades. With his grades, he was practically guaranteed admittance to Tokyo U, but instead he declined entering college and went straight to work at his step-father's company."

"Figures Buchou would like the eccentric genius-types..." Jackal commented.

"How did they meet?" Sanada questioned. It was a valid one; as far as Sanada saw, Yukimura spent more of his time either on the courts or studying. Where would he have the time to meet some older stranger in order to start a relationship?

"From what Sadaharu has gathered," Yanagi replied, "Their initial meeting was at Seiichi's neighborhood store, Hanazuki Florist. Minamino appears to be very fond of plants and approached Seiichi first."

"He's a predator!" Kirihara cried immediately, shooting to his feet. "He's going to seduce Mura-buchou into his bed and-"

"I don't really know if Yukimura's subsequent stalking make him the actual prey, though," Niou pointed out.

"-where he'll corner Mura-buchou, giving him heated eyes-"

"Akaya seems to be reading far too many romance novels," Yanagi noted blandly.

"-and he'll pin Mura-buchou down to-"

_"What?"_ Jackal interrupted vainly, not wanting to hear the smut that was so easily rolling off his teammate's tongue. Yanagi absently covered Kirihara's mouth, patiently waiting as the younger boy blew out steam, keeping careful eyes on Sanada; the former vice-captain remained stock-still in one of the desks, apparently having never gotten over Yukimura's declaration of love a week previous.

"Is there anything else?" Marui asked, secretly just wanting to leave the meeting already. Why was he always roped into things like this? Wasn't it Seigaku that enjoyed stalking around their teammates as they went on dates? Rikkaidai club members should be out striking fear into the hearts of mediocre players, not talking about some contractor who probably never even held a tennis racket!

"Information about Minamino Shuuichi has been difficult to come by, in regards to his personal affairs," Yanagi answered blandly, pulling away his hand when it looked like Kirihara was done ranting on the perverse world they lived in. "Despite an overwhelming popularity at Meiou, Minamino had no known intimate relationships, a trend he continued in his career field. From the information we have, it seems Seiichi is Minamino's first romantic liaison."

"...So he's a _virgin_ eccentric genius?" Jackal queried.

_"Unknown,"_ Yanagi repeated blandly.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hatanaka Shuichi knew he wasn't the brightest student at Meiou, nor was he the most athletic, and accepted the fact that he would never be as popular as his step-brother had been (which he had decided was pretty damn great, because some of the things those girls had done for the redhead's attention were _insane)_ , but if there was one thing he prided himself on, it was his power to observe. He was not a dim boy by any means, and though at times he would do stupid things on impulse, he also had the ability to take a step back and just observe a situation from afar.

This ability often came in handy for him. For one, he noticed that not many people noticed the strange, tiny little creatures that flitted here and there from the shadows, all scales and sharp teeth and cackles. He also happened to notice that his neighborhood grocer had three horns on his head and blue hair, which he had found strange - because when they had first moved in he was balding and very human. He also saw that the plants that grew under his step-brother's care flourished with an unnatural energy and that sometimes Shuuichi's friends would glow with an aura that made his skin prickle.

Shuichi didn't question it because when he started to see these things, he wasn't scared so much as he was filled with a feeling of déjà vu. It figured as much, of course; from the way his older step-brother would look at him sometimes, that weird "dream" he had had back when he was still a senior in junior high was starting to seem a lot more like reality. Figuring this out lead Shuichi to a new conclusion: his dear older step-brother had some pretty severe insecurity issues. From the way their mother doted on them, Shuichi found it strange; she'd love them both even if she learned they had massacred entire cities on whim.

This skill of observation, and at least two years worth of watching spirits and demons wander around and sharing this world with their mostly-ignorant human counterparts, made picking out the dozen or so people stalking him rather easy.

It had been unnerving at first. Shuichi tried to recall any altercations he had been in recently but none came to mind; he was remarkably well-behaved, and as far as he knew, he'd never offended anyone from Rikkaidai Fuzoku. The fact that there was always a couple of people from Seishun Gakuen or Hyoutei Academy along with his Rikkaidai stalkers made him all the more wary. He had allowed the stalking for a week, just to see what would happen; they always left him when he reached a block away from his home but otherwise shadowed his movements whether he went to the arcade with his friends, did some grocery shopping for his mom, or even to the aikido dojo he had recently joined.

_Isn't Nii-san supposed to be the only one with the stalkers?_ Shuichi groused internally, finally stopping in his trek home and taking an abrupt turn into the neighborhood park. A few kids were running around in the playground under their assorted parents' watchful eyes and some other junior high students were wandering around, but it was otherwise rather private.

Waiting a minute to make sure the last of his straggling stalkers had joined, he pivoted and looked into the nearby bushes with a scowl on his face. "Alright, I let you have a week of this, can we stop now? Come out and we'll talk!"

Nothing.

"Come out and talk or I'm calling the police! I can recognize those uniforms!"

_That_ got their attention. One by one, they all reluctantly stepped out, tallying up to seven people. Three from Rikkai, two from Seishun, and two more from Hyoutei. Shuichi made an internal note that they all seemed to be sporting tennis bags.

_I don't even play tennis, so what the hell?_ he mused. "Care to explain why stalking me has become everyone's new hobby?"

A few shuffled uneasily, particularly all of the redheads. The one with the closed eyes and dark brown hair stepped forward. "We apologize if our methods made you uneasy, Hatanaka Shuichi-san. We were just trying to gather information that concerns a friend of our's."

Shuichi almost asked how they knew his name, but they probably wouldn't be very good stalkers if they hadn't found out that much.

"You're Minamino Shuuichi's younger step-brother, correct?" another boy asked, Kansai accent evident and a rather damning smirk on his lips.

Shuichi stared. "Oh. Is that what this is about? Are you guys Nii-san's groupies?" He paused in consideration, "He doesn't play tennis, though."

"Is he really dating Yukimura Seiichi?" the redhead from Seishun suddenly asked, looking far too excited.

Shuichi _stared_. "What?"

Hyoutei's redhead snorted, "You don't even know? Your brother is supposedly banging Rikkai's tennis captain-"

"Buchou isn't a slut!" Rikkai's redhead snapped, turning to his Hyoutei counterpart angrily. "Besides, if anything, I bet Buchou's banging _him!"_

"Minamino Shuuichi is 14.8 cm taller than Yukimura," the Seigaku student with the glasses deadpanned, flipping out a notebook he had pulled out from god-knows-where. "It is only logical that Minamino would be the 'seme' in the relationship, as the research suggests that the one with greater height would-"

"Research?" the bald one from Rikkai interrupted. "You _researched_ homosexual couples?"

"Tezuka reads Gravitation," the redhead from Seigaku shrugged.

"Sadaharu, did you factor in Seiichi's personality? I believe the logical conclusion would be that Seiichi would top, despite Minamino's height advantage," the closed-eyed student said.

The Seigaku one with glasses adjusted his eye-wear in noticeable agitation. "I did factor in Yukimura's personality, as well as personal preferences. Renji, are you positive you did not allow your bias to cloud your objective judgement?"

Shuichi could practically feel the lightning shooting between the two, despite the fact that he still couldn't see their eyes.

"As amusing as this data showdown _is,"_ the accented one interjected in a tone that suggested he _wasn't_ amused, not in the least, "Let's get back to the topic at hand. Hatanaka-san, we are only trying to ascertain Yukimura's safety in the developing relationship between him and your step-brother."

Shuichi sure as hell wasn't buying _that._ The Hyoutei kids seemed more entertained than concerned, while the Seishun ones just looked overly-curious; only the Rikkai ones seemed to have any personal investment in this little escapade, which was what was keeping Shuichi from just turning around and ignoring them altogether.

"Why don't you just ask your Yukimura then? Or even Nii-san?" Shuichi suggested.

The boys traded looks, obviously conveying through nothing more than their eyes that that was _not_ a good idea.

Shuichi snorted, "I guess Nii-san can be a bit intimidating."

Their eyes snapped to him.

"Oh?" the one with the accent queried.

Suichi paused. _Should I...?_

He looked at their curious, hopeful faces.

_...Well, why not?_ "Yeah. I mean, back in junior high, there was this whole incident where Nii-san disappeared with this girl from his class and no one heard or saw from them for two whole days. When they returned together, the girl couldn't remember a thing and Nii-san just told the police that they had been caught by this man but managed to escape."

"Really?" Seishun's redhead gasped, clearly liking where this little mystery was going.

Shuichi nodded wisely. "Yeah. When they went to the place Nii-san had said they were held, do you know what they found?"

"...Nothing?" the one with the tan proposed.

Shuichi shook his head. "No, they found the man. But..."

"But?" Rikkai's redhead prompted.

"The man was _dead._ He was cut into pieces!"

The more gullible ones, which was about four out of seven, screamed in appropriate horror. The two with the glasses and the one with closed eyes remained silent and skeptical, staring at Shuichi. The boy could only hold it for a moment before he burst into laughter.

"Oh, you guys are good!" Shuichi damn near cackled. "I tried telling that same story to Nii-san's fangirls last semester and I don't think they heard a word! _Oh!_ My _sides,"_ Suichi gasped, doubling over.

"You bastard," Gakuto growled.

"Are you quite done, Hatanaka-san?" the one with the closed eyes asked dryly.

Shuichi waved him off, "Yeah, yeah. Sorry." He took a deep breath, not looking very apologetic at all. The redheads present bristled up in response. "So your friend is dating Nii-san, right? To be honest, I had no idea; he doesn't like talking about his personal affairs much."

"We kind of got that feeling," Rikkai's redhead muttered.

Shuichi snorted. "Believe me, you have _no_ idea."

At their interested looks, he shrugged. "Sorry, not at liberty to say. Even I have to respect Nii-san's privacy at some points, you know?" He picked up his bag, which he had dropped at one point when he'd been laughing over their ignorance.

"Come on!" the redhead from Rikkai whined. "Tell us _something!"_

Shuichi paused thoughtfully, "Well, if Nii-san really is dating your friend, then I'd say just leave them alone. Nii-san's a good person." If one ignored that whole random-incidents-of months-long-leave he often pulled back when Shuichi had been in junior high. Luckily, he'd mostly gotten over that nerve-wracking phase.

"Oh, but a word of advice!" Suichi said cheerfully, cutting through the dark grumbles the other teens had been starting in on. "Don't piss him off. Nii-san gets damn scary."

Yes, his brother had not taken to being roughed up well. After Shuichi had managed to convince him to accompany him to the arcade, they'd stayed for hours before going back home well after the sun had set. A couple of men had been trying to come-on to Shuuichi while making threats at Shuichi. To be honest, Shuichi had no clear idea what happened; one moment he was being shoved up against the wall and the next he had watched as his brother dragged the two men into the darkened alley way, coming out moments later with a genteel smile on his face.

(When he'd told Kuwabara-san this story, the carrot-top had cringed knowingly. "They probably pissed blood for days," the older male had commented. Suichi had nodded in solemn agreement.)

The teens just looked at him skeptically. Shuichi just shrugged and turned, raising a hand in a silent farewell as he strode away.

_Let them find out on their own, then,_ Suichi mused. _All foxes need to play once in awhile._ (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N** : I've seen Kurama's step-brother's name written many different ways, but just to make it simple for everyone, he will be written as "Shuichi" for this story, since Kurama is mostly written as "Shuuichi" from certain characters' viewpoints.
> 
> (1) Shuichi doesn't actually know (for sure) that Kurama is a kitsune; he's merely saying that his fox-like brother needs some form of amusement. Or something to that effect...
> 
> _If you would so kind as to **drop a review** and **kudos** ~!_ :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings** : Yaoi, shounen-ai, Boys Love - whatever you call it, it's in here.
> 
> **Pairings** : Main - KuramaYukimura. Plenty of side-pairs, mostly canon for YYH and the oddest assortment for PoT. In this chapter, mentions of manyxRyoma. XD
> 
> **Disclaimer** : I do not own.

"So, Nii-san," Shuichi started conversationally at dinner one night, on one of the not-so-rare evenings his step-brother joined the family. "I heard from some not-so-reputable-but-still-accurate sources that you've gotten yourself a boyfriend?"

His parents and beloved brother choked simultaneously. It wasn't that Shuichi was lacking in tact or anything of the sort - but do you have any idea how hard it is to tease an older brother that is seemingly perfect in every way? Shuichi had agonized for years over the lack of material he had at his disposal to further harass his sibling; the redhead was too pretty, too smart, and far too likable. Now that he finally had an edge on the other male, he damn well was going to use it.

"E-Excuse me?" Kurama managed out, having recovered rather quickly.

Shuichi rewarded him with an appraising look and smug smile. "Oh, you know, some guy named Yukimura Seiichi? Real smart, in the tennis club, super good-looking and popular? Or did your respective fanclubs just feel the urge to randomly bond together to form the Ideal Couple?"

Kurama just stared at him in total incomprehension. Their mother, Shuichi was amused to note, had recovered quickly after her biological son and was now looking rather...satisfied? His father, on the other hand, still appeared to be choking on his food. Shiori patted him absently on the back.

When Kurama looked ready to start speaking, Shuichi fluidly interrupted. "I mean, not that I didn't expect it - I think _everyone_ kind of suspected you played for the other team, 'Nii-san - but everyone at my school was still surprised you hooked up. They thought you had that whole Forsaken Lonely Prince thing going."

"Forsaken Lonely Prince-?"

Shuichi shrugged off the pole-axed echo. "Something about how you will never be understood by the common masses or somesuch, I don't really know, Minako-chan doesn't make any sense when she goes on about it. Man, you should have seen your fangirls. There was like this three day period of depression before the club president decided that, if they all truly loved you, they would support your every decision."

"You have an organized fanclub, Shuichi?" Shiori queried gently, looking too amused for someone that was supposed to be ignorant of the matters at hand. Shuichi really had to start paying more attention to his mother; she was a lot more aware than even he had realized.

"So I heard they went of over to Rikkai Daigaku Fuzukoko to speak to Yukimura in person, but were intervened by _his_ fanclub. There was supposedly this great Verbal Battle before the two presidents came to terms with each other and decided to form a coalition to celebrate your's and Yukimura's union," Shuichi continued.

"Coalition...?" Kurama echoed weakly.

Shuichi nodded sagely. "If you thought their networks were impressive back in the day, you haven't seen anything yet. They even have merchandise! The black market at my school has a doujinshi of you and Yukimura-kun selling like _crazy_."

"Shuichi," Shiori finally said, when it looked like the younger Shuichi was done reveling in his brother's embarrassment, "Why didn't you tell us you have a boyfriend? I'd love to meet him."

His father was still choking.

"Dad, really," Shuichi sighed in exasperation, "Drink some water or something before you asphyxiate."

Hatanaka did as instructed. Shiori was still giving the redhead her Understanding Mother expression, so Shuichi was privy to watching his brother's resolve and composure waver.

"...It's still a bit too early for you to meet Seiichi-kun, mother," Kurama relented weakly.

Shiori nodded in understanding, "I'll give you some time, of course. You mustn't rush relationships, after all." Then, without pause, she turned to her youngest son. "So what is he like?"

"Mother!" Kurama's distress was widely ignored.

"Super pretty," Shuichi said after little deliberation. "I heard he's top in his class and is basically the school idol. He's in the tennis club but its rumored he's practically captain of it; everyone tends to bow to his whim."

"He sounds rather devious, doesn't he?" Shiori mused absently.

"Very," Shuichi agreed. "Even the teachers are scared of him and I've _seen_ what he did to a guy that tried to bully him. His fellow club members also seem to be fanatically devoted to him."

"I always knew Shuichi would go for the clever types," Shiori said idly.

Hatanaka stared at his wife. "What?"

Kurama looked up at his step-father as if he were some saving grace. Finally, a voice of reason in this madness-

"But I could have sworn Shuichi-kun would go more for the ditzy types!" Hatanaka said, sounding rather dejected. "I mean, he has that whole prince-like persona down, and don't those types like the air-headed ones?"

Kurama's hopeful expression fell.

Shiori giggled. "But Shuichi has always prized intelligence over looks, dear."

"Besides, 'Nii-san hates the dumb types. He always looks like he's about seconds away from snapping someone's neck if they ask him a stupid question." Shuichi added.

Hatanaka nodded. "No wonder you always give Shinagawa-san the cold shoulder; he always was a bit dopey, wasn't he?"

"Really, Shuichi, there's no need to sulk," Shiori chided gently, but Kurama could see the laughter in her eyes. "Aren't you just happy you have everyone's support?"

"I bet Yusuke-san nearly died of laughter," Shuichi noted.

Kurama stared at the table. "I'm just surprised there isn't a betting pool over this."

The other male members of the Hatanaka-Minamino household froze in associative guilt. Shiori gave her son a wide, cheshire-like smile. "I always knew you'd go for the clever types, Shuichi."

_"Mother!"_

 

_

 

_"Ossan,"_ Echizen Ryoma, Seigaku's ace and current junior, intoned calmly from his stool at the counter. "Isn't smoking while cooking illegal?"

Really, he didn't know why he and Momo had such bad luck in finding ramen restaurants. That first one where the cook had tried to get all their money was bad enough, but now they had been reduced to ramen stalls with lousy customer service. It wasn't that the food was bad - in fact, the ramen at this particular stall was the best Ryoma had ever had - but the cook's mannerisms left something to be desired. Then again, the same could be said for Ryoma's attitude.

"I can always stub it out on your _face,_ you pissy brat!" Urameshi Yusuke growled at his most irritating but loyal customer. From the very first time the cocky tennis player had come to his stall, he'd been a nonstop source of complaints, but Yusuke could respect the attitude; the kid never backed down or cringed, even if Yusuke tried to hit him with a cooking pot.

"Where the hell is that guy with the spiky hair anyway?" Yusuke asked. The older boy had a better attitude _and_ more practice at reigning in the younger one's mouth; he always saw them together.

Ryoma just shrugged.

Yusuke snickered. "What, he dumped you? And you've come to seek comfort in my delicious ramen?"

"It would only figure that your ramen could be eaten when someone is in depression."

_Snarky little bitch,_ Yusuke thought fondly with a roll of his eyes.

"Maybe if you fixed that attitude of your's, you'd be more popular with the girls," Yusuke pointed out.

Ryoma snorted.

"Or guys," Yusuke corrected absently. The boy probably swung that way, anyway; the one time a female customer tried to hit on him, she'd been immediately shot down when she said she couldn't play tennis. The kid had weird standards.

"Does your ramen always take this long to cook?" Ryoma bit out in annoyance.

Yusuke rolled his eyes, spooning out the house special ramen into his lone customer's bowl. "Only because I want to enjoy your delightful and warm company for as long as possible."

"Tch. Should have figured you were a pervert."

"At least I'm getting laid!"

Someone cleared their throat nearby. Yusuke's head shot up with a bright smile at the familiar redhead, eyes gleaming with defiance. Ryoma just ignored the newcomers with practiced ease, slurping away at his ramen.

"Is that how you talk to all of your customers, Yusuke?" Kurama asked, looking amused as he took a seat at the counter. Yukimura followed shortly after, claiming the seat on the redhead's left and glancing over the menu in curiosity; it was his first time at a ramen stall.

"Just the ones that are near and dear to my heart," Yusuke replied, flicking some green onion's into the boy's soup. Ryoma glared up at him venomously but upon finding the flavor improved, went back to eating. "Besides, the kid is being more bitchy than usual today. I think his boyfriend dumped him."

Ryoma almost choked.

Yukimura looked over, eyes widening marginally. "Echizen?"

This time, Ryoma did choke.

"Eh? You two know each other?" Yusuke asked, more interested than he really should be. Kurama sent him a warning glare but the look went ignored. "You know, for being such a brat, you have some interesting connections."

Ryoma glared over at him before turning his eyes to the Rikkai student. "Yukimura-san," he paused, trying to recall the manners his mother had beat into him. "You look well."

"They say love makes you look good," Yusuke crooned.

At that, Ryoma's eyes turned to the redhead. "Oh. The senpai _did_ say that Yukimura got a boyfriend."

"They _what?"_ Yukimura's voice dropped into the freezing temperatures. Yusuke practically felt icicles erupt along his spine.

To the former detective's surprise, the cold reaction went ignored by the younger boy. He looked almost... _used_ to it. (The thought scared him more than his mom's and Chu's drinking games.)

"Do you play tennis?" Ryoma asked, golden eyes trained on the redhead.

"No," Kurama answered.

It proved succinct enough. Ryoma turned away, clearly losing interest in the conversation at hand. Yukimura looked deep in homicidal thought, Kurama laid a placating hand on his boyfriend's shoulder, and Yusuke was putting out his cigarette with his heel.

"You gonna introduce me to your boyfriend now, Shuichi, or should I just wait until you guys finish having eyesex?" Yusuke asked.

Kurama rolled his eyes but Yukimura turned to face him with a cheery smile that almost made Yusuke forget the murderous look on the boy's face mere seconds previous. Damn, the people Kurama knew were scary!

"This is Yukimura Seiichi," Kurama introduced, hand sliding down from the youth's shoulder to curl around slender fingers. "Seiichi-kun, this is Urameshi Yusuke - a very good friend of mine."

"Shuichi-san says your ramen is the best around," Yukimura said.

Yusuke grinned. "Damn right it is!"

"You have to watch him cook it, though, or he might put out his cigarette in your food," Ryoma added in.

Yusuke half-heartedly pelted a radish piece at the boy. "Just shut up and eat, you annoying prick. You won't get the boys if you're a twig all the time!"

"I don't want to be all loose skin like you, ossan," Ryoma snipped.

Affronted, Yusuke pelted a fish cake at him.

Yukimura chuckled demurely. "Echizen is actually very popular among his senpai, though." Ryoma twitched in annoyance. "From what I've heard, he's confessed to quite regularly."

Ryoma looked as if he'd bitten into something sour. Yusuke burst into laughter at his expression; the scene was priceless and now he had more embarrassing ammunition to hit the kid with.

"I never figured you'd be so popular, what with that bratty attitude!" Yusuke chortled.

Yukimura chuckled, "I think Seigaku has a bit of a brat-fetish."

"And Rikkai has an S&M fascination," Ryoma returned easily, turning to look Kurama in the eye. "I hope you're good with whips."

To the tennis players' confusion, Yusuke just laughed _even harder_ as Kurama turned an interesting shade of red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N** : Just to be clear - Kurama taking Yukimura to Yusuke's ramen stand IS NOT their first date! Their first date goes unwritten in this chapter, but I may bring it to writing in later chapters. I will be writing about later dates they have, though, so get ready for a romance overload.
> 
> And this fanfic will not feature a YusukexRyoma pairing. Although, now that I've denied that, I have this insane urge to write it. _Dammit._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **A/N** : Three chapters to get to first base... Kurama, you're such a prude! XD
> 
> **Warnings** : BL
> 
> **Pairings** : KuramaxYukimura, past HieixKurama, with implications/mentions of KuwaYukina, YusukeKeiko, ManyxRyoma, Tango, Platinum, Dirty, Golden
> 
> **Disclaimer** : I do not own either Yu Yu Hakusho or Prince of Tennis.

Yukimura Seiichi was having a serious problem.

Now, Yukimura wasn't given to dramatizing his own situations; he had never complained about any of his health issues, for one, and it wasn't until he collapsed that his loved ones decided to ignore his platitudes and manhandle him into a hospital. Yukimura took what he was given, and if he couldn't handle it, he improved it himself - just like he had improved the educational quality of his school by blackmailing Ugata-sensei into quitting and frightening the delinquent hierarchy of the school into submission. If anything, Yukimura Seiichi was extremely adept at handling his problems.

That's why he was having such difficulty in asking for help with this issue.

Don't get him wrong; Kurama was a wonderful boyfriend. He took Yukimura out for dinner dates, they talked about everything from his school to the redhead's job, and they generally had a very good time together. No, the only problem Yukimura found with their relationship was in the more intimately physical aspect.

Nearly a month into their relationship and they haven't even _kissed_ yet.

Sure, Kurama sometimes gave him a peck on the cheek at the end of their dates or held his hand as they walked in more private areas like the park, but Yukimura was a young man now. If he had been satisfied by chaste pecks on the cheek or hand-holding, he might as well just go back to elementary school.

Yukimura wasn't quite sure how to phrase his frustration to his new boyfriend. He felt that asking straight out for a french kiss is something only a horny teenager would do - and, well, in all honesty, that _is_ his age group - but he didn't want to be seen like a brat by his older and mature boyfriend. He'd thought about initiating it himself, but the redhead had a way of moving around that didn't give the tennis star much of an opportunity to do so.

He'd thought about asking his friends and fellow teammates for some advice, but soon realized the folly in that plan of action; Sanada and Marui were the only ones in a relationship (excluding Niou and Yagyuu, because they had a _special_ kind of relationship), the rest being steadfastly married to tennis. Sanada was dating Atobe, for god's sakes, and Yukimura knew his gentle, doting boyfriend was nothing like the self-centered diva. Marui would have been a better choice for advice but Yukimura knew for a fact that the Akutagawa boy was the active one in the relationship and Marui just kind of went with the flow. It also didn't help that his fellow club members were still trying to recover from the hellish training he had put them through after he learned of their stalker-behavior in regards to his boyfriend. (Which reminded him, he still had to get payback from their Hyoutei and Seigaku counterparts.)

Which was, of course, how he ended up back at Yusuke's ramen stand.

"Yusuke-san," Yukimura began gently, looking the very picture of misery as he desolately stirred the remaining broth of his ramen. "You've been friends with Shuuichi-san for a long time, ne?"

The sushi chef gave a shrug, taking a long drag of his cigarette, "I guess. Its been about six years now, I think," the man answered. He gave the tennis player a considering look; the boy had come on a Tuesday night during Yusuke's dead hour, for the first time without the redhead. (Kurama was currently still at work, doing overtime.) "What's up? Trouble in paradise?"

"No!" Yukimura immediately denied. At the cook's surprised look, he quickly backtracked, "Nothing's wrong, really... I mean, Shuiichi-san is a wonderful boyfriend. He's very considerate; we went to an art museum last weekend. They were having an exhibit on the modern art I liked so much, and Shuiichi-san paid for the tickets and everything-"

"But what, he asked for a little _something_ in return?" Yusuke asked, practically leering at the younger male. The former detective was rewarded with a vibrant blush and drooping shoulders. "Were you made a virgin sacrifice, Yukimura-kun?"

"Yusuke-san finds the oddest things amusing," Yukimura noted into the countertop.

Yusuke chuckled, "I have to keep you brats on your toes."

"I think Yusuke-san is just taking out separation anxiety on me," Yukimura continued (still into the countertop), "Just because Echizen is out on a date with his newest fling and not spending time with you."

Yusuke did a full-body pause.

"...that brat has a _fling?"_ came the deadpan.

Yukimura frowned at the cook, "So Yusuke-san _is_ taking out his jealousy on me."

"I'm not jealous! I'm practically already married, you know!"

Oh great, now there were _two_ of them with relationship issues.

"Just tell me what your damn problem is with Shuuichi," Yusuke grouched, taking another drag of his cigarette. He gave the younger boy a dark smirk. "Or I can just call him right now-"

"Shuiichi-san," Yukimura interrupted bravely, though came to hesitant pause. "Shuiichi-san hasn't...hasn't kissed me yet."

Dead silence met this.

"What?" Yusuke asked weakly.

"Shuiichi-san hasn't kissed me yet," Yukimura reiterated, depression hanging off every word. "We've only gotten as far as holding hands - and it's already been almost a month since we first started dating."

"Er," Yusuke managed out, but Yukimura continued on undeterred.

"I thought about talking to him about it, but how would I _phrase_ that? 'Excuse me, Shuiichi-san, but would you mind if I examined your mouth? With my tongue?'"

"Um," Yusuke croaked.

"But what if Shuiichi-san thinks I'm just in it for the sex? Because I most certainly am not! I'm just saying I want a little intimacy!" Yukimura huffed indignantly.

"Yukimura-kun," Yusuke intervened, finally graduating from awkward noises. "Why don't _you_ just pin 'im down and, uh, play tonsil hockey with him?"

Yukimura gave him a distressed look, "But isn't that a little forward?"

Yusuke snorted, "I really doubt Shuiichi would mind. Hiei was no shrinking violet, after all."

A pause elapsed, the look on Yusuke's face immediately sweeping into regret at what he had just given away. Yukimura studied him carefully, the downcast demeanor previous gone completely.

"Who is Hiei?" Yukimura asked softly.

Yusuke grimaced, "Well-"

_"Urameshi!"_

The loud call drew the cook's attention immediately, but Yukimura didn't miss that fleeting look of relief on the older male's face at the distraction. Filing away the name for later, Yukimura turned to see a burly, orange-haired man coming towards the stand.

"Kuwabara! Isn't this your third time eating here this week? Yukina isn't gonna like you when you're fat!" Yusuke teased, grin wide and forceful.

Kuwabara gave his friend a confused look, eyes flicking over to Yukimura in consideration. He seemed to reach his answer after only a moment, as he gave the befuddled tennis player a small smile. While the man was not the most attractive person Yukimura had seen, there was something very amiable in those narrow brown eyes.

"Shut up, Urameshi," Kuwabara shot back, taking a seat at the counter. "I work out every day for my Yukina!"

"Oh gross, you idiot, I don't want to hear about your sex life!"

Kuwabara spluttered, turning a brilliant shade of red as he vehemently denied any such insinuations. Yusuke ignored him however, already starting a pot for his new customer without needing to be told the order - Kuwabara would like what he got and if Yusuke heard any complaints, he'd reacquaint his best friend with his fist.

"Yukimura-kun," Yusuke started. "This guy is Kuwabara. He's another good friend of mine and Shuiichi's. Kuwabara, this is Yukimura Seiichi - Shuiichi's boytoy."

"...I don't think Shuiichi keeps boytoys," Kuwabara deadpanned.

Yukimura had paused in thought. _Why are all of Shuiichi-san's friends reminiscent of gangsters?_

"And don't be getting the wrong idea, Yukimura-kun!" Kuwabara was quick to protest. "I'm your normal, everyday college student!"

"With a sharp sixth sense and a penchant for street brawling," Yusuke added.

"Yeah, and that - wait, I haven't been in any street brawls recently! That was way back in junior high, Urameshi!" Kuwabara denied. "And you were the one starting all the fights!"

"Really? Because I seem to remember that _you_ were the one constantly approaching _me,_ asking to have your ass kicked!" Yusuke shot back with a grin.

Kuwabara stood, glaring down at the shorter man. "What was that? You want me to beat your ass down so you can remember _properly?"_

Yusuke was already at the ready, effortlessly slamming down a large bowl of ramen - missing Kuwabara's head by millimeters but catching all ten digits of the larger man's hands. Kuwabara howled with pain, jerking backwards and throwing the bowl off his abused fingers. The ramen bowl had a large crack going down the center where ounces of the hot liquid were pouring out, travelling along the counter.

Kuwabara's flailing appendages nearly caught Yukimura in the face, but fortunately the carrot-top's arm was grabbed and gently pushed backwards.

"I see you've met Kuwabara, Seiichi-kun," Kurama said amicably, the smile on his face being one of the most terrifying things all three males had ever seen. He was currently holding Kuwabara's arm away from his younger boyfriend with a steely grip, looking perfectly unruffled in his business suit. Kuwabara valiantly tried not to cry out in pain - lest Kurama twist his arm for interrupting.

"Shuiichi-san!" Yukimura cried, delighted.

"I'm pleased to see you enjoy Yusuke's ramen," Kurama started benignly, releasing his carrot-topped friend's arm without so much as a glance. "But you shouldn't have it more than once a week, Seiichi-kun. It isn't healthy."

"Stop trying to get rid of my customers, Shuiichi!" Yusuke interjected playfully.

"Yusuke, the broth is spilling," Kurama pointed out calmly.

Yusuke swore, pulling out a rag and starting to clean up the counter with only one smug smirk thrown in Kuwabara's direction. For his part, the taller man just glared back before refocusing his attention to the newly-arrived redhead.

"Hey man, haven't seen you for awhile," Kuwabara greeted happily. Kurama, upon seeing that Yukimura's general welfare was no longer in any imminent harm, gave his friend a smile.

"Yes, well, we've both been busy," Kurama replied, taking a seat next to his boyfriend. "I heard you're planning to intern at Sasagawa Animal Hospital?"

Kuwabara nodded, "I need some practical experience for course credit at my university. Sasagawa has a good reputation."

The carrot-top paused, before tilting his head in Yukimura's direction. "So you're really Shuuichi's boyfriend, Yukimura-kun?"

Yukimura blushed but a pleased smile came to his lips. "Yes - we've been together for about a month now."

"Shuuichi is like a sugar daddy now - after younger men~!" Yusuke crooned from behind the counter, already starting to make Kurama's favorite ramen. The redhead rolled his eyes at his friend's commentary, although Kuwabara looked confused.

"Eh? How old are you, Yukimura-kun?" the taller male asked in confusion.

"I'm 16," Yukimura answered lowly.

Kuwabara gaped, "No way! I thought you were in college already!"

Yukimura smiled wanly, "Yes, well, I have some friends who look like they could _teach_ high school kids. I suppose there's just something about my generation."

Kuwabara darted a look over at Kurama. "Ku-Shuuichi, I don't think it's even _legal_ for you to date him," he pointed out carefully.

"I haven't crossed any lines," Kurama replied calmly, sipping at the green tea Yusuke had just served him.

Yusuke snorted, "Yeah - talk about sexual frustration. Poor Yukimura-kun."

Yukimura ducked his head, now a bright scarlet but still managing to shoot daggers through his eyes at the unrepentantly smirking ramen chef. Kuwabara just looked uncomfortable at the topic change - he really didn't want to know about any of his friends' sex lives, thank you very much!

Kurama stared at Yusuke - and with how flat it was, it was obvious the wrong words could easily set the former thief off. "Excuse me?"

Yusuke wasn't exactly known for his strong instinct of self-preservation. "Just think about it from Yukimura-kun's perspective, Red," the ex-Spirit Detective pointed out. "Your hormones are acting all crazy, just ready to get it on, you have a super hot boyfriend with a steaming bod-"

"I really don't like the way this conversation is going," Kuwabara interjected, just in the name of decency.

Yusuke would not be stopped, "-multiple dates later, multiple fantasies and ruined bedsheets later - and still nothing? I mean, he's in high school now - how long do you think chaste romance is going to last with him?"

If looks could kill, Yusuke would be dead for the third time. As it was, he just had to keep the shit-eating quality of his grin hidden in response to Yukimura's smoldering glare. Kurama frowned; it was obvious the redhead had not thought of it from that angle. He was no stranger to lust, but from an early age he'd learned to be careful where intimacy was concerned. There was no guarantee that the person you took to bed wouldn't try to behead you during sex. As a youko, Kurama has had his fair share of near-death encounters between the sheets.

"I'm just saying you might want to do more than just hand-holding, Shuiichi," Yusuke continued. "Before Yukimura-kun decides you've dried up before you've even got to the good stuff."

Kuwabara groaned into the counter. "I cannot believe we are having this discussion in public!"

"I would never think that," Yukimura interrupted calmly, giving the ramen cook a level look. "If Shuiichi-san wants to take his time, that's perfectly fine with me."

Yusuke pointed to the high-school boy solemnly. "Did you hear that, Shuiichi? He's obviously gagging for it. You better start showing him how to do the horizontal tango before he decides redheads aren't his thing."

Kurama stared back at his friend. "Yusuke, I'm going to have to ask you to stop talking about this. Your advice has been taken into consideration, so please drop this line of conversation."

"Sure!" Yusuke agreed immediately, laughing as Kuwabara nearly sobbed out a thank you to the redhead. Yukimura still seemed content with spearing Yusuke through with his eyes, but the ramen chef remained unaffected as he cheerfully served his two friends their food.

"That reminds me... Shuiichi-san," Yukimura turned to look at his boyfriend. "Who is Hiei? Yusuke-san mentioned him before."

Kuwabara choked on his ramen and began to cough violently. Kurama set his chopsticks down quietly, glancing over at Yusuke with a hard look before looking back over at Yukimura with a thoughtful expression.

Yusuke frowned, "It was a slip of the tongue."

"You don't need to tell me if you don't want to," Yukimura backtracked, sensing the hesitance in the redhead's posture.

Kurama only shook his head. "It's fine, Seiichi-kun. It's not a secret. Hiei is an old friend of our's. He moved away awhile ago, however," the redhead explained. Kurama paused in consideration, before continuing softly. "We - Hiei and I - dated for a... time. We ended it before he left, though. There's no need for concern."

Yukimura nodded, knowing instinctively that wasn't the whole story. The fact that the usually loud and boisterous Yusuke was silent and looking away, as well as Kuwabara's scowl, were testament to the fact.

_So 'Hiei' is the taboo subject..._ Yukimura mused.

 

_

 

The trek home was awkward, but that could have just been Yukimura feeling self-conscious. It hadn't helped that he had endured about an hour of strained conversation between the three friends, full of the kind of hidden messages and innuendos he knew he was missing and could never hope to understand.

Yukimura didn't know if he should be annoyed that even the mention of one person could disturb his usually-calm boyfriend, or that the redhead had so blatantly lied to his face about this 'Hiei' issue being closed. He kept his face serene to not alert his boyfriend to his inner turmoil but he wasn't sure that Kurama was buying it - the redhead often glanced back at him as they made their way to Yukimura's house.

As they passed through the neighborhood park to get to Yukimura's street, the younger male paused and nearly scowled. He was feeling a little angry now, to be honest, but he wasn't sure how to explain why to his older boyfriend. Kurama had already stopped and was looking at him in consideration.

The redhead reached a conclusion before Yukimura could form his own, stepping closer to the younger boy and settling one hand on the boy's face. Yukimura blinked, surprised by their sudden close proximity.

"I have been unfair to you, haven't I?" Kurama mused aloud.

Yukimura stared up at him, dumbfound. Thus he wasn't prepared as Kurama closed the distance between them, soft lips settling on Yukimura's own pair with gentle pressure. It was warm and a little moist - and Yukimura had no idea what he was doing.

He kept his arms at his sides, his body completely still, and his eyes wide open. Green eyes slowly opened to meet his own, and they stared at each other for a long moment as their lips remained together.

Kurama pulled back suddenly, turning around with one hand over his mouth and eyes downcast. For one panicked moment, Yukimura thought he'd really pissed the redhead off - until he realized the older man's shoulders were shaking, and he could make out the sniggers coming from his boyfriend.

"Sh-Shuiichi-san!" Yukimura snapped, face heating up. He didn't know how to kiss - so he had frozen up. And now his boyfriend was laughing at him!

Kurama turned back, green eyes feebly rising to meet his own. He lowered his hand, revealing a smile that took Yukimura's breath away. That is, before Kurama snickered again, making Yukimura's face heat up in humiliation.

"Sorry, Seiichi-kun," Kurama coughed, choking down the rest of his chuckles as his little boyfriend looked ready to punch him. "Your expression was priceless."

Yukimura scowled, turning away with a huff. Kurama smiled, breaching their distance and wrapping his arms around the tennis player's waist. Playfully, he nipped at the youth's ear; Yukimura gave a startled flinch but Kurama didn't let him go.

"Here, let me show you," Kurama murmured into his ear. Yukimura turned slowly, seemingly entranced as Kurama took the youth's arms and lead them to wrap around his neck. He tilted Yukimura's chin up and reclaimed his lips.

_Oh._

It was different this time. With this new position, their bodies were in closer contact and Yukimura could feel the other's body heat through his clothes. Kurama had taken advantage of his slightly-parted lips, deepening the kiss and making Yukimura feel weak-kneed. One of the redhead's hands had settled on his waist, holding him steady, as the other braced his back and pushed their bodies closer together.

It was warm, and wet, and very, very intimate. Yukimura tried to remember to breathe through his nose but looking hazily into intense emerald eyes made his brain go fuzzy. He shut his eyes to get better control of himself, but then he was enveloped in the sensations of Kurama's teasing tongue and warm, wandering hands.

_I like this man,_ Yukimura thought, feeling pleasantly adrift. 

 

_

 

The tournament courts were full of chatter as teens moved down the paths, heading for one area or another. Most were dressed in the uniforms or jerseys of their schools, although some were just spectators there to support family or friends. The sounds of balls hitting the ground could be heard from some courts, as a few matches were in progress, but Kurama wasn't interested in any of those.

Rikkai Daigakkou Senior High School versus Matsue Gakuen Senior High, set to begin in about another forty minutes. The court was easy enough to find but neither team had showed yet so Kurama had assumed he was still too early. He had wandered over to the vending machines to pass some time and after purchasing a bottle of green tea, he'd sat himself down on the nearby bench and just decided to people-watch.

The tennis courts were a lively place. The people were also pretty fun to watch; there was one group dressed in dark purple jerseys arguing nearby, although the one teen with silver hair - the apparent leader - would quickly and efficiently rebuff anything a scruffy-haired brunet snapped. The teen also looked to be glittering, although Kurama had no idea how he was doing it.

Another team drifted into the area, only they wore blue and white jerseys and were lead by a tall boy with glasses. This caught the dark purple team's attention, and the redheads of both teams immediately began what looked to be a - gymnastics competition?

_Tennis is a strange sport,_ Kurama mused off-handedly. Kurama had never watched any sports, to be honest; he'd never been that interested. His idea of a good time or exercise almost exclusively included either gardening or sparring. But his boyfriend was in love with the sport so Kurama knew it was custom to support him in such a way.

Besides, now he'd get to see Yukimura in cute shorts. It was a win regardless.

"Eh? Momo, Kaidoh, and Echizen?" one of the blue-and-white jersey teens exclaimed. Kurama blinked at the familiar face - the young boy that Yusuke was fond of. The boy in question was being half-dragged by a tall youth with spiky hair and trailed by a scowling boy.

"We came to give you support!" the spiky-haired teen greeted cheerfully. "You're going against Tachibana-san's team today, right?"

"Unyaaa, Ochibi! It's been so long!" the redhead cried, breaking away from his impromptu gymnastics match in order to cling onto the younger boy.

"It's only been a week, Kikumaru-senpai!"

_So these are his senpai with the brat-fetish?_ Kurama chuckled inwardly.

The dark purple-clad team joined the into the conversation - with Echizen deftly ignoring the prima donna leader of the other team - and golden eyes eventually met Kurama's own pair. Kurama hid a smile as Echizen stared at him for longer than was polite; he knew from past conversations with both Yukimura and Yusuke that the young boy had a hard time remembering people.

"Ah," Echizen suddenly spoke - accidentally cutting off a one-sided argument with Atobe. The diva blinked at being interrupted, and his utterly insulted expression caught the attention of the rest of the group. Echizen rudely pointed to a pretty redhead only a couple meters away, sitting down on a bench. "You're Yukimura's boyfriend, right?"

The redhead smiled, "I'm surprised you remembered me, Echizen-kun. Yusuke said you couldn't remember his name for an entire month."

Echizen shrugged, "I remembered after the second time. I just wanted to piss him off."

The redhead chuckled.

"Eh?" Oishi croaked out, shock all over his features. The beautiful redheaded- man? Yes, man, by the voice - was the infamous boyfriend of Rikkaidai's Yukimura?

"Holy shit, you're _gorgeous!"_ Mukahi exclaimed, eyes wide.

Oshitari twitched, "Gakuto."

"But I still like you better, Yuushi!" was the redhead's quick rejoinder. Oshitari tried not to roll his eyes.

"Eh? Eh? You know Yukimura's boyfriend, Ochibi?" Kikumaru said, gripping the boy tighter. "You never told us!"

"I didn't think it was important," Echizen dismissed. "He doesn't even play tennis, anyway."

"What does that have to do with anything!"

Inui was already at Kurama's side, looking over him speculatively. "Minamino Shuiichi... You are quite a bit more attractive than I theorized. Ii data..."

Atobe looked over the older man speculatively. True, he could see the appeal - Minamino Shuuichi was gorgeous, so there was something to be said for Yukimura's tastes. Atobe didn't exactly prefer the drop-dead-gorgeous look himself, though; he was more of a regal-handsome kind of a guy. Regal handsome men that played tennis and practiced kendo.

"Rikkaidai is playing that unseeded team today, aren't they?" Shishido pointed out, breaking his captain out of Sanada-based fantasies. "Isn't that game starting soon?"

Kurama nodded, "I came a bit earlier to see if I could find Seiichi-kun but it didn't seem like his team had arrived yet."

Gakuto frowned, "It's weird to hear someone call that guy by his first name and without a hint of fear. It feels like a crime."

"I think Minamino-san has full rights to call his boyfriend by his given name," Shishido replied blandly.

Kikumaru perked up, "That reminds me - who's the pitcher? We never resolved that."

"Eiji! That's personal information we have no right to know!" Oishi cried out.

Kurama coughed to regain some say in the rapidly-dissolving conversation. _Why is our sex life being discussed so often lately?_ he mused to himself. "I never got any of your names..."

"That's the Monkey King and his idiot followers," Ryoma introduced before anyone could get a word in edge-wise, as he indicated to Atobe and the rest of the Hyoutei regulars. "And this is Tezuka-buchou and the rest of my annoying senpai-tachi," he continued blandly, motioning to his exasperated friends.

Ryoma paused, before pointing to a smiling Fuji, "That's Fuji-senpai. We have to keep him and Yukimura apart because the last time they spent any time together, both of our schools shut down for a week and no one could get the bloodstains out."

"Echizen," Fuji piped up with a mock-hurt expression, "How could you slander your favorite senpai?"

Kikumaru eyed his friend with a pout, "It's not slander if it's _true,_ Fujiko-chan."

Ryoma ignored his friends' banter and Hyoutei's general scandalization at his rude labeling. "Yukimura's harem are the ones in the yellow jerseys," the boy explained.

"Exactly what happened to you this year that made you so snippy?" Oshitari asked dryly.

Echizen's eyes darkened considerably, "Nothing that I can't repay back in kind."

"He's always been snarky, anyway," Momo waved off.

Listening to this ongoing conversation, Kurama couldn't help but feel there was something very _odd_ about the tennis circuit. It was a very bad sign for humanity when he'd heard saner conversations take place between an inebriated Chu and egotistical Suzuka than what he was hearing right now.

"I didn't realize Seiichi-kun had a harem," Kurama noted aloud, amused.

"Because _I don't."_

The assembled Regulars of both Seigaku and Hyoutei whipped around to face their Rikkaidai counterparts, most looking guilty and nervous. The Rikkaidai players scanned their rivals curiously before their eyes alighted upon the redhead seated amidst the throng.

"What kind of rumors are you guys spreading?" Marui asked, honestly curious.

Fuji smiled guilelessly, "We were just talking about Yukimura's many admirers."

"I'll never have as many followers as you, though, Fuji-kun," Yukimura replied back with a sunny smile.

Silence descended as the two sadists just smiled and chuckled at each other, their auras darkening rapidly and causing nearly everyone to take a step back instinctively. Ryoma - one of the few unaffected - turned back to Kurama with a droll face.

"This is why we keep them separated," the boy pointed out.

Kurama watched in fascination as the boys in the yellow jerseys flinched away from Yukimura and huddled closer together, keeping terrified eyes on the wavy-haired youth. Likewise, the Seigaku regulars eyed Fuji as if mentally debating the merits of forcefully removing the slender tensai from the immediate vicinity or let him have his intimidation showdown with Yukimura.

"Echizen, control Fuji-senpai!" Momo hissed, just as innocuous bystanders began to flee. Kurama almost applauded the sheer amount of killing intent between his boyfriend and the brunet. Ryoma just looked at Momo like he was being an idiot before shuffling towards Tezuka for protection.

"Seiichi-kun," Kurama interrupted benignly, just as the last bystander escaped the oppressive atmosphere. Almost immediately, tensions relaxed as Yukimura turned his attention to the redhead. "I'm glad you're here - I didn't know where to find the court."

Yukimura smiled instantly, sauntering towards his older boyfriend and practically glittering. (Seriously - how were the tennis players _doing that?)_ "I'll show you where we're playing, Shuiichi-san. Thank you for coming today," Yukimura chirped brightly.

Kurama smiled in return as he stood, flowers seemingly blooming around him. "Of course - it's my pleasure, Seiichi-kun. I came to cheer for you and your team," the redhead responded.

As the two bloomed and glittered at each other, everyone else present had to look away. They didn't know if it was because of the sheer amount of lovey-dovey-ness of the scene before them, or because it looked like Yukimura and his boyfriend were the same type of person: the smile that hides _pure evil._

Marui turned to glare at Yanagi and Inui as Yukimura walked off with Kurama. "You guys didn't say anything about Minamino being _just as dangerous!"_

Ryoma snorted. "He's Yukimura's boyfriend, isn't he? Why would you expect anything less?"

There really was nothing to say to that - just resigned silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N** : Thus this is the first part of Kurama's Meet The Regulars! You didn't really think that was it, did you?
> 
> And yay, first base!
> 
> Kindly drop a review. :)

**Author's Note:**

>  **A/N** : Alright, so I know Yukimura is all about calm and composure, but a Yukimura _in love?_ I can so claim Artistic License. (Because in my mind, the Prince of Tennis dating sims do not exist. XD) I figured the first reason strangers get interested in each other in a more romantic sense is because of physical appearance, so for this chapter, it focused a lot more on the whole 'OMG! _Pretty!'_ aspect. It will get more personal and involved later on, though, so no worries!
> 
> And yes, I do find Kurama mind-screwing with people as a sort of hobby terribly amusing.
> 
> _**Please** drop a review~!_


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